The present invention relates to a pedal locking device and pedal device for locking a foot-depressed pedal at a low position.
In conventional percussion instruments, for example high hat stands and the like, there are known pedal locking devices for maintaining a pedal at a foot-depressed position. In general, high hat stands are incorporated in a drum set and include two cymbals arranged one on top of the other. A pedal is moved upward and downward to close and open the two cymbals. Unique tonal qualities are produced when the two cymbals are closed together and struck while the pedal is depressed. However, when the drum set has two bass drums and twin pedals, a total of three pedals are used, two pedals for operating the drums and one pedal for operating the high hat stands. Since the high hat stand pedal cannot be operated at the same time as when operating the two drum pedals, the cymbals are maintained in the opened position. However, there may be times when the musician desires to play the high hat stands while the cymbals are in the closed state, that is, when the foot-depressed pedal is located at a low position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,532 describes a device having a function for locking a pedal so as to allow the high hat stands to be maintained in the closed state. The device described in the US Patent is provided with a stationary member 150, which functions as a guide post, and a movable member 151, which is slidable on the stationary member 150, as shown in FIG. 11. A spring 152 is arranged on the outer surface of the movable member 151. The stationary member 150 is supported on a U-shaped frame 153. The frame 153 is mounted on a high hat stand guide column 155 by means of mounting members 154a and 154b. The frame 153 is provided with an anchor plate 156 through which extends the movable member 151. A tiltable plate 158, which has a hole, is arranged between the anchor plate 156 and an arm 157 on the bottom end of the frame 153.
A compression spring 159 is arranged between the plate 158 and the arm 157. A slight gap is provided between plate 158 and the movable member 151 in the hole of the plate 158. Accordingly, the movable member 151 is forced upward by the spring 152. The plate 158 prevented from the movable member 151 from being raised unintentionally. Therefore, the movable member 151 is stopped at any position.
In this device, an operation pedal 160 is depressed to hold the cymbals in a closed state. This lowers the movable member 151 as it slides along the outer surface of the stationary member 150 and compresses the spring 152. The plate 158 functions to keep the movable member 151 anchored at the lowered position. In this state, a foot pedal 161 is pressed downward by the lowered movable member 151. This closes the pair of cymbals and locks the foot pedal 161 at the foot-depressed position (low position).
When unlocking the foot pedal 161, the plate 158 is depressed downward to release the movable member 151. This enables the movable member to move through the hole of the plate 158. The force exerted by the spring 152 lifts the movable member 151. Thus, the downward pressing force on the foot pedal 161 is eliminated to unlock the foot pedal and open the cymbals.
In the conventional device, when the cymbals are locked in the closed state, the joined cymbals produce a somewhat combined noise. Furthermore, since the cymbals automatically return to the open state when released from the locked state, it is impossible to continue playing the cymbals in the closed state after releasing the lock. This is because the pedal locking and unlocking operations cannot be performed when the pedal is being depressed.
Furthermore, a constant tonal quality cannot be reproduced because the tone of the cymbals changes each time the cymbals are locked in accordance with changes in the pressure applied by the operation pedal 160 when locking the cymbals in the closed state.